Identifying First Edition Books

Book lovers, collectors and average book readers like to have the ability to figure out if their beloved books are first editions. Identifying first editions of books is easy most of the time, yet can also be tricky at times. Book publishers vary on how they identify their books as first editions. There are, however, some ways to figure out if your book is a first edition.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Open the book to the copyright page. This is often the page the title is on or directly behind the title page. Sometimes you may find the copyright page a few pages in.

2. Look on the copyright page for the publisher's name and the numbers associated with the book. Sometimes a publisher will put directly on the copyright page that the book is a first edition. Check the copyright page for these initials: FP = First Printing; FE = First Edition; FPu = First Published; FI = First Impression; NAP = No Additional Printings.

3. Check the numbers if there are no initials on the book's copyright page. If on the number line there is a 1 present, then it is possible it's a first edition. However, publishers can sometimes forget to change this for the second printing of a book, either due to error or a policy not to change the number line.

4. Check the dates of the copyright and of the first publishing (this will be found on the copyright page also). If these dates match, then you are holding a first edition in your hands.

5. Look further. If you're having a hard time identifying a first edition, or the copyright page is missing, check out the sources at the end of this article for more help. Also, check the following books: "A Pocket Guide to Identification of First Editions" by Bill McBride; "First Editions: A guide to identification" by Zempel and Verkley; "ABC for Book Collectors" by John Carter.

Resources

• Identifying First Editions
• First Edition Book Identification
• Antique Book First Edition